Victims of a neighbour from hell today spoke of their fury after he escaped a jail sentence.

Graham Clarke, 43, of Black Dog Walk, Crawley, appeared at Hove Crown Court for breaching an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) imposed on him in 2001 following a string of complaints from his neighbours.

The order included a possible five-year jail sentence in the event of a breach.

In court yesterday, Clarke was ordered to carry out a 200-hour community punishment order.

It came after he was cleared by a jury at Hove of 11 counts of breaching the ASBO by making intrusive noise banging his garage door and revving his car engine.

But he was convicted of breaching it by shouting at and intimidating neighbour Graham Sanger, who today described the court case as a farce.

The long-running dispute began in 1985 when the Clarke family moved to Black Dog Walk.

It was the start of what neighbours have described as a 17-year nightmare. They complained to police about abusive language, obscene gestures, excessive noise and intimidation.

In November 2001 police took Clarke to court. He admitted anti-social acts and the district judge imposed an ASBO on him, which included up to five years in jail for breaching it.

Then last April, 66-year-old Mr Sanger called the police when Clarke started yelling and swearing at him over the garden fence.

This landed Clarke in court again. He was cleared of deliberately banging his garage door to annoy his neighbours but found guilty of intimidating Mr Sanger.

Guy Russell, defending, said: "Mr Clarke now recognises it is not the way to behave."

Recorder Kenneth Parker QC, who sentenced Clarke, told him he had considered sending him to jail but was influenced by the fact there had been no further trouble.

As well as the community punishment order Clarke was ordered to pay £450 costs.

But his neighbours were furious with the sentence.

Mr Sanger said after the hearing: "These court cases are a farce. It is not justice. He has got off lightly."

Another neighbour, Michael Leigh, said he did not believe the trouble was over and criticised the police and authorities.

A police spokesman said: "ASBOs require a fair bit of work and our job is to put the evidence before the courts.

"Mr Clarke has been found guilty of breaching the order but it is up to the court to come to a verdict and we have to abide by that decision."

In December last year Clarke's disabled wife Jay was accused of failing to keep her Rottweiler under control.

The dog had attacked and maimed an 11-year-old boy who was playing in her garden with her own children.

The same dog bit a ten-year-old girl and her mother just months before.

Magistrates ordered the dog to be destroyed but were forced to withdraw the ruling because of a legal loophole.